Even with a returning Aaron Judge, the Yankees' offense was dominated by Nathan Eovaldi and Devin Williams allowed the winning run as New York fell 2-0 to the Rangers on Tuesday night.
The Yankees mustered just two hits and did not have a walk as they have now lost five games in a row.
Here are the takeaways....
-Judge returned after spending 10 days on the IL with a forearm strain but he didn't look like himself at the plate, and that was in large part due to. Eovaldi got the slugger to strike out on four pitches with the splitter down in the zone, getting Judge swinging. Eovaldi got Judge swinging on a low splitter again in the fourth.
Judge's other at-bats include a groundout on a fastball running in on the hands and finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
-Will Warren had to grind on Tuesday. He allowed a runner to get into scoring position in his first four innings with walks attributed to his inefficiency. He worked in and out of trouble, especially in the second when he walked the first two batters. He also escaped the third after he allowed a leadoff double. A Joc Pederson leadoff double in the fourth was also squandered by the Rangers as Texas was a futile 0-for-10 with RISP through four innings.
Warren would gut through five scoreless innings, tossing 98 pitches (52 strikes), allowing three hits, walking three batters and striking out five batters.
-The Yankees bullpen also kept the Rangers in check. Camilo Doval was first out of the pen and after allowing back-to-back singles to start the sixth, he worked out of trouble. Luke Weaver allowed a two-out double in the seventh but struck out Corey Seager to end the threat.
Devin Williams, less than 24 hours after giving up the game-tying homer, came out for the eighth. Adolis Garcia hit a one-out double off the top of Jasson Dominguez's glove to set the Rangers up. Pederson and Wyatt Langford walked to load the bases for Rowdy Tellez. The left-handed slugger dumped a two-run single into center field after a 10-pitch at-bat to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. A returning Mark Leiter Jr. got the final out of the eighth.
The Tellez hit was the only one Texas had with RISP and they finished 1-for-16 with 10 left on base.
Williams has allowed 26 runs this season. He allowed just 26 runs from 2022-24.
-In the ninth, Ryan McMahon picked up the team's second hit -- the first Yankee hit since an Anthony Volpe double in the third inning. He was erased by a Giancarlo Stanton double-play. The slugger pinch-hit for Volpe before Trent Grisham struck out to end the game.
Game MVP: Nathan Eovaldi
Eovaldi continued his dominance of his former team, and gave his team a chance to win despite Texas' poor hitting.
What's next
The Yankees and Rangers complete their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2:35 p.m.
Carlos Rodon (11-7, 3.34 ERA) is on the mound with the Rangers sending Jack Leiter (7-6, 4.10 ERA) to the bump.
Taking another journey through The Hockey News Archive, it was interesting to read about Senators star Tim Stutzle five years ago this summer, just days before his draft day.
It was a weird draft that year. The world was social distancing, and NHL draft prospects were no different, staying home instead of gathering en masse at a single arena.
In our 2020 NHL Draft Preview issue, Matt Larkin profiled Stutzle, the young German who had just proven, with his sublime skill and speed, that he was a boy who could already play with the men.
May 11, 2020/vol.73, issue06
FIRST GERMANY, THEN THE WORLD
Not long ago, playing in the NHL would’ve been a pipe dream for Tim Stutzle. But after ruling the rink in his home country, he’s ready for the next challenge.
BY MATT LARKIN
Tim Stutzle can picture it.
He’s beating defenders with his blazing speed and pulling highlight-reel dekes in front of NHL crowds, just like his idol, Connor McDavid. Even a decade ago, the dream would’ve felt far-fetched for a German kid from Viersen, a town of 75,000, but so much has changed among his countrymen since then. In 2014, Leon Draisaitl went third overall in the draft, and he was arguably the best player in the world this season. In 2018, the Germans reached the gold-medal game at the Pyeongchang Olympics, a shocking accomplishment even in a tourney that didn’t feature NHL players. In 2019, defenseman Moritz Seider went sixth overall. He played for Adler Mannheim in the DEL, like Stutzle does now, and the two were teammates at the 2020 world juniors.
The NHL thus feels very realistic for Stutzle, a dynamic center who could go top three in a loaded 2020 draft class. That makes it all the more frustrating that he has to stay home, waiting out the global COVID-19 pandemic, unsure when the 2020 draft will happen. He passes the time for a few weeks playing inline hockey outside with his buddies. After the isolation rules tighten, he’s stuck at home, an only child with just his parents as company.
Just because his young career is frozen in time doesn’t mean it won’t bloom someday soon, however. Stutzle has the makings of a scintillating NHL scorer with "he-did-what?" moves that will make him popular in GIF format. “I would say my skating, playmaking and stickhandling are my best abilities,” Stutzle said. “But I can work on everything. I’m young.”
Not just young – consistently younger than everyone he plays with. Yet he still dominates. Rising up the German junior rankings, averaging better than a goal per game was his “normal.” He did it in his age-13 and age-14 seasons on an under-16 team, settled for “only” 18 goals in 25 games as a 15-year-old for Adler Mannheim’s under-19 squad and ripped off 23 in 21 games at 16 with the under-20s before making the pro club in the DEL at 17. Even though the German League sits (just) outside the top five pro circuits in the world, it’s one of the best, so it’s a testament to Stutzle’s talent that he rose so fast.
He joined a team full of ex-NHLers including Ben Smith, Andrew Desjardins, Borna Rendulic and Germany’s own Marcel Goc. It didn’t take long for Stutzle to turn heads with his wheels and raw star power. “His offensive hockey skills, his skating and ability to beat players 1-on-1 and create outnumbered situations, it’s a big asset,” said Adler Mannheim coach Pavel Gross. “Especially the quickness, how he can recognize the situation, how he is able to create new scoring chances for his teammates. That’s something, as a coach, you cannot teach.”
As a first-year pro, Stutzle posted a stat line characteristic of a playmaker: seven goals and 34 points in 41 games. But once he reaches his potential and gets used to playing against men, the goals should come. Forget the obvious and inaccurate comparison to Draisaitl, a hulking puck protector. Gross sees Stutzle, at a stringy 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, as more of an Elias Pettersson type.
The difference right now, Gross says, is Pettersson has one of the NHL’s deadliest releases, whereas Stutzle has to work on getting his shot off quicker. He has yet to consistently translate his speed into good outcomes. He also doesn’t always come out with the puck when he goes into the corner against a big, heavy defenseman.
“The thing I want to work on this summer is getting stronger on the ice to stay on my feet the whole time in battles,” Stutzle said. “That’s the thing I worked a lot on (this) season, playing against men.”
Gross and Tobias Abstreiter, Germany’s world junior coach, list defensive play as the No. 1 skill Stutzle must refine. Not that either views it as a long-term problem.
“Whether it’s Kaapo Kakko or Jack Hughes, whoever signed with an NHL team and then played right away, they all have to improve their play without the puck,” Abstreiter said. “It’s a very important part that coaches want to see. They want to have a good gut feeling when they put these young players on the ice against other top lines. But this is normal. All those young players have to learn to improve their defensive game.”
The COVID-19 sports shutdown could benefit Stutzle’s chances of jumping straight to the NHL. He’s been committed to working out and building strength, and if the 2020-21 season doesn’t start until late fall or early winter, he could have 10 or 15 pounds of muscle packed on, making him stronger on the puck.
If he jumps directly to the NHL, it might not be at his natural position. Stutzle was a center his whole life but played left wing this season and says he enjoyed it as much as he does center. Gross believes the wing maximizes Stutzle’s potential. As Gross explains it, Stutzle’s skills are more disruptive on the wing, since he can beat D-men to create chances inside for himself or outskate them to the outside along the boards and circle the net to set up teammates.
Playing the wing also means less defensive responsibility, which is good for a youngster. So if Stutzle fast-tracks to the NHL, the best-case scenario would be to do so as a winger – with high-end company on a scoring line. “If you put him on the fourth line, he’s gonna die there, know what I mean?” Gross said. “He was 17 years old, and we just said in our organization, ‘You know what? We’re going to bring him the right way with the good players, with two good players, players with a lot of experience.’”
Stutzle played with Smith and Finnish right winger Tommi Huhtala this season. Not only did Stutzle learn a lot about the nuances of the pro game from them, but he also absorbed a ton of English. That will help him ingratiate quicker when he comes to North America. He describes himself as shy, but that doesn’t mean he’s an introvert. Gross views him as someone who isn’t the loudest guy in the room but isn’t the quiet loner, either. “He’s a good team guy,” Abstreiter said. “He treats everybody the same. He doesn’t think he’s something special. He’s never too arrogant or puts his ego in front. He’s very focused for his age.”
Stutzle has a real shot to tie Draisaitl as the highest-drafted German of all-time at third overall. It would be an upset if Stutzle gets picked before man-child Quinton Byfield at No. 2, though. There’s a certain level of pressure that comes with being the No. 1 or 2 pick in a draft class, but it lessens once you reach No. 3 and down. Jonathan Drouin didn’t jump right to the NHL. Nor did Dylan Strome or Pierre-Luc Dubois. So it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Stutzle gets one more year of seasoning.
With his maturity, though, he’ll take his fate in stride. He’s quick on the ice but patient off it.
“The hype was a lot this season in Mannheim, and I just enjoyed it, but we need to settle down a little bit,” he said. “My goal is to play in the NHL a long time and win something. I haven’t reached anything yet. You have to stay on the ground and be humble and work hard.”
The Los Angeles Kings recently signed Alex Laferriere to a new, three-year deal, and while most fans are very pleased with the deal, it's always nice to see another pundit give the contract a positive grade.
In a recent article at Clutch Points, Laferriere's new deal was given an "A" from the Kings, and a "A-" for Laferriere.
In the article, writer Bryan Logan stated: "There is an aspect of the forward betting on himself with this deal, but considering his progressions already, it may have been a smart move. Overall, both sides got what they needed."
The Pittsburgh Penguins could be looking to move some of their players this offseason, specifically both Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, and with a little money left over, do the Los Angeles Kings make sense as a potential fit for Rakell?
The Kings would have to move money out, considering Rakell has a $5 million cap hit, and the Kings only have $2,668,833 in cap space, but Rakell’s ability to score and play solid hockey in the defensive zone makes him an enticing asset to try and move some money around for.
Rakell, who is 32 years old, scored 35 goals and added 35 assists for 70 points through 81 games last season. His offensive importance can’t be denied, but that doesn’t mean he would be a good fit for the Kings.
Would Adding Him Make Sense?
In this situation, though, he could plug into the second line with ease. He could bolster the Kings’ top six and become one of their key scorers heading into the 2025-26 season.
Realistically, adding him likely cancels out the questionable moves the Kings made this offseason and puts them into contention to make it out of the Western Conference, and gives them a real shot at making a push for a Stanley Cup.
His ability to drive the play offensively while being able to complement any player he is a linemate with makes him someone the Kings should be all over.
Of course, one player doesn’t make a team, but he could be a perfect fit and the final piece to the puzzle that allows them to finally get over the hump.
A former, long-time Miami Heat security officer appeared in court Tuesday, charged with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
Following an investigation by the FBI's Miami office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, charged Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, of Miami, with allegedly "stealing millions of dollars' worth of Miami Heat game-worn jerseys and other valuable memorabilia, which he later sold to online brokers." Perez is a 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department who worked as a security officer for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and then worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 until earlier this year. From the U.S. Attorney's press release:
"Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room. This equipment room stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia that the organization intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum."
Perez is accused of stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia, some of which he then sold online — about 100 of those items were sold, many over state lines, which added to the charge against him. What's more, because he was trying to do this relatively low-key, he was often selling items for well below market value.
"As an example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey later sold at a Sotheby's auction for $3.7 million," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release.
Police executed a search warrant at Perez's home on April 3 and recovered about 300 more items of memorabilia, which the Heat confirmed had come from their equipment room.
Roki Sasaki could be headed back to the mound for the Dodgers. (Darryl Webb / Associated Press)
Between now and October, the Dodgers will be evaluating their increasingly healthy pitching staff, trying to identify the best 13 arms for their World Series push.
And for now, they remain hopeful that rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki could be part of that mix; writing an unexpected end to what once seemed like a lost 2025 campaign.
After being one of the biggest stories of the Dodgers’ offseason this winter, Sasaki has become more of an afterthought in the eight months since.
Back in January, the Dodgers’ acquisition of the Japanese phenom felt like a coup. The 23-year-old right-hander was billed as a future star in the making. He came advertised with a 100-mph fastball, devastating splitter and seemingly limitless potential as an ace-caliber pitcher. Most of all, he was a bargain addition financially, requiring only a $6.5-million signing bonus (for six years of team control) after making a rare early career jump from Japan.
The reality, to this point, has been nowhere near the expectation.
At the start of the season, Sasaki made eight underwhelming starts — with wild command and declining fastball velocity contributing to a 4.72 ERA — before being sidelined by a shoulder impingement.
Since then, he has sat on the injured list and largely faded into the background. An important piece of the Dodgers’ long-term plans, sure. But a wild card, at best, to contribute to their World Series defense this fall.
Lately, however, the narrative has started to shift again.
Over the last month, Sasaki has finally started progressing in a throwing program, twice facing hitters in recent live batting practice sessions. He has another three-inning simulated game scheduled for Friday, after which he could go out on a minor-league rehab assignment.
And after his early-season struggles to locate pitches or reach triple-digit velocities, the Dodgers have been encouraged with the changes he has made to his delivery and pitch mix. In a bullpen session Tuesday, Sasaki hit 96 mph with his four-seam fastball while also showcasing a two-seamer he has added during his time injured.
“I'm expecting to see pounding of the strike zone, conviction behind the throws, and just a better performer,” manager Dave Roberts said of Sasaki, who could rejoin the active roster near the end of August.
“At the end of the day, I just think that Roki has got to believe that his stuff plays here, which we all believe it does.”
The team’s title chances, of course, don’t exactly hinge on Sasaki. If their current rotation stays healthy, they should have more than enough starting pitching depth to navigate another deep October run.
But getting Sasaki back would provide some welcome pitching insurance.
He could also be a candidate to eventually shift to the bullpen, with Roberts leaving open the possibility of using him as a hard-throwing reliever come the end of the season (even though they intend to stretch him out to six innings as starter for now).
“We’re gonna take the 13 best pitchers [into the playoffs],” Roberts said. “If Roki is a part of that in some capacity, then that would be great. And if he’s not, then he won’t be.”
For much of the summer, it seemed like a long shot the Dodgers would be having such conversations about Sasaki at this point.
For all the hype that accompanied his arrival, the results made him look like more a long-term project.
In his eight early-season starts, his fastball averaged only 96 mph, and was punished by opposing hitters for its flat, relatively easy-to-hit shape. His slider was a work-in-progress, leaving him without a reliable third pitch.
His go-to splitter did induce the occasional awkward swing from opponents, and garnered much praise from teammates. But Sasaki failed to consistently use it to generate chase out of the strike zone.
As a result, he pitched from behind in the count too often (evidenced by his 24-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio). He seemingly lacked confidence to attack opposing hitters over the plate (and gave up six home runs in just 34 ⅓ innings when he did). And once he went down with his shoulder injury (which was similar to one that had bothered him during his Japanese career), the early stages of his rehab did not go smoothly, with Sasaki requiring a pain-relieving injection in June almost two months after initially going on the IL.
Since then, though, Sasaki has finally turned a corner.
He told reporters Tuesday that he now has “no pain” and is feeling “better about being able to throw harder” upon his return.
He has used his recent ramp-up as an opportunity to reset his mechanics, and clean up an arm path that Dodgers personnel believed was affected by his shoulder problems at the start of the season.
“What we saw early on is probably not indicative of what everybody expects and has seen from him in the past when he's been 100%,” pitching coach Mark Prior said.
While out injured, Sasaki has also had an opportunity to sit back and watch big-league games up close, something Roberts and Prior insisted would be beneficial for a young pitcher who came to the majors with only 394 career innings over four seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league.
“He's down there in that [dugout] stairwell when we're at home pretty much all nine innings,” Prior said. “You can't not learn by just watching and at least having some experience … I think he understands now the importance of, ‘I've got to be ahead. I've got to attack the strike zone.’ He doesn't necessarily need it to be executed precisely, but it's got to be in the strike zone. You can't be living behind in counts."
There may be no bigger sign of growth than Sasaki’s embrace of the two-seam fastball.
Before he got hurt, it was a pitch that people within the organization thought could help keep hitters off his diminished four-seam heater. Prior said that, before Sasaki was shut down, the coaching staff had initiated a conversation about adding it to his repotoire.
“Clearly, everybody would love a fast, high-riding four-seam,” Prior said. “But even that being said, these [hitters] have gotten a lot better and know how to attack those things. So just giving them different looks and stuff to lean into and keeping the righties honest, just gives him some flexibilities and some options.”
The hope is that it will help Sasaki be more competitive when he returns, and complement the rest of his highly-touted arsenal.
That, when coupled with improved health and refined mechanics, will trigger a late-season resurgence capable of making him an option for the postseason roster.
“My every intention is to get back on the major league mound and pitch again,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton. “With that being said, I do need to fight for the opportunity too. I don't think that I'll just be given the opportunity right away.”
The Mets took an early two-run lead but their bats went cold and failed to generate anything, falling to the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night, 3-2.
New York finished with just four hits.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Pete Alonso, searching for his record-tying HR, got the Mets on the board against LHP Logan Allen in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly, driving in Francisco Lindor from third base to make it a 1-0 game. It's RBI No. 91 on the season for the first baseman -- already three more than he had all of 2024.
-- After his 11-game hitting streak ended Monday, Mark Vientos picked it back up at the plate with a double to the right field corner in the second inning. He advanced to third base on Jeff McNeil's sac-bunt and scored on Tyrone Taylor's single to put New York up 2-0. The RBI-single snapped Taylor's 0-for-19 streak. Starling Marte reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases, but the Guardians turned a smooth double play on Lindor's grounder to limit the damage.
-- Clay Holmes struck out four of the first six Cleveland batters he faced with two identical innings of groundout-strikeout-strikeout. He tossed another 1-2-3 inning in the third, capping it off with his fifth strikeout of the night.
The right-hander gave up his first three hits of the night in the fourth inning, including two RBI-singles as the Guardians tied things up at 2-2. The longer inning pushed his pitch total to 68 through 4.0 IP. Holmes bounced back for another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, needing just seven pitches for two groundouts and his sixth K.
That would be all for Holmes, though, as he finished after 5.0 IP and 75 pitches. He allowed two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and a walk. David Peterson remains the only Mets starter to complete the sixth inning since Holmes did on June 7 (h/t Laura Albanese).
-- Gregory Soto replaced Holmes in the sixth and avoided trouble after hitting the leadoff man by retiring the next three Guardians. Tyler Rogers entered in the seventh and got the first two Guardians out before allowing three-straight singles, including an RBI-single up the middle to Steven Kwan as Cleveland took a 3-2 lead. Rogers then hit Daniel Schneemann in the hand to load the bases, but luckily got star José Ramírez to ground out to first to end the inning.
-- New York's hitting woes continued for the rest of the game, failing to get a hit after McNeil's leadoff single in the fourth inning. 14 straight Mets went down to end the game following Juan Soto's one-out walk in the fifth inning. Marte, Lindor, Soto, Nimmo, and Francisco Alvarez all went hitless.
-- Brooks Raley and Ryan Helsley both tossed 1-2-3 frames in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Game MVP: Steven Kwan
Kwan went 2-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning.
It is fair to say that the 2024-25 season was a tough year for Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel. The young winger did not have the breakout season he and the club had hoped for, as he recorded eight goals, 14 assists, 22 points, and a minus-16 rating in 70 games. This was after he had five goals and 16 points in 65 games with the Blackhawks in 2023-24.
Overall, with numbers like these, Reichel has yet to become the top-six forward that the Blackhawks expected him to be when they selected him with the 17th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. While this is the case, he should not be given up on yet.
Sometimes it can take young players more time than expected to hit their full potential, and this very well could end up being the case for Reichel. At 23 years old, he is still plenty young enough to improve, and it would not be surprising in the slightest if he did in 2025-26 because of it. His skill and offensive upside are what led to him being a first-rounder, and it will be interesting to see if he can break out next season.
Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk preach paying attention to details with the Colorado players. These Hall of Famers are part of Deion Sanders’ coaching staff, which boasts 160 years of NFL experience.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins being far from a playoff-caliber team right now, plenty of hockey fans have speculated about the Metropolitan Division club potentially trading captain Sidney Crosby to give him the chance to play for a contender again.
"He's going to start the year with the Penguins," Friedman said while chuckling. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. We got the preliminary media list, and it says 'Sidney Crosby, Penguins.' So, that one was a sign to me that, if anybody doubted that, he's not getting traded this summer. He's definitely not getting traded this summer."
With Crosby entering the first season of the two-year, $17.4 million contract extension he signed with the Penguins before the 2024-25 campaign, this update from Friedman is not surprising in the slightest.
Crosby is now entering his 21st season with the Penguins in 2025-26 and will continue to be the face of the franchise. In 80 games this past season with Pittsburgh, he recorded 33 goals, 58 assists, and 91 points.
Penguins New Forward Should Be Great FitThe Pittsburgh Penguins have made plenty of new additions to their roster this off-season. Among their free-agent signings was forward Justin Brazeau, as the Penguins signed him to a two-year, $3 million contract on July 1.
Texas holds the top spot in the USA Today preseason coaches football poll. Defending national champion Ohio State is No. 2 followed by No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Notre Dame.
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has managed to re-stock prospect pool that had been nearly completely barren upon his arrival back to the franchise in April 2019.
Not only has Yzerman been known for his savvy drafting, but also willingness to take flyers on players who went un-drafted.
One such player is goaltender Michal Postava, who was recently inked to a two-year, entry-level contract by the Red Wings and now represents the latest intriguing figure in Detroit's goalie prospect pool which already includes Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine.
Hasek spent three separate stints during his Hall of Fame NHL career with the Red Wings, the first and third of which resulted in him lifting the Stanley Cup and shortly announcing his retirement from the NHL afterward.
Mrazek has now played two stints with Detroit, the second of which lasted only a few months after being re-acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in March. In late June, the Red Wings traded him to the Anaheim Ducks as part of the deal to acquire John Gibson.
Before Mrazek's trade to the Ducks, he briefly spent some time with Postava at the Red Wings' annual Development Camp at Little Caesars Arena.
"Yeah, we were talking maybe three days before he got traded,” Postava said. “So he was welcoming me and telling me to be proud and try hard every day.”
Not only is it a prideful thing to be signed by an NHL club, but Postava would love to be Detroit's next great Czech goaltender.
"I’m enjoying every moment, and I’m proud to be a part of this organization," he said.
“There have always been a lot of Czechs here, and they are still active in the organization," he continued. "Plus, it’s a big club from the Original Six. It’s a huge opportunity for me."
Speaking of Czechs who are still in the organization, former Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, who had his career come to a frightening end in November 2005 with a near-fatal cardiac event at Joe Louis Arena, currently serves as Detroit's Director of Player Evaluation and gave Postava the inside scoop.
“I talked to Jiri Fisher, and he was telling me like, everywhere what happens and everything that was done here,” Postava said. “He helped me a lot to get here.”
Postava played in 42 games last season for HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga, and amassed a record of 23-18-0 with an impressive .921 save percentage and three shutouts.
He'll be a participant in Training Camp for the Red Wings next month, and could see playing time in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
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Mets pitching prospect Nolan McLean continues to impress with another quality outing on Tuesday night.
Pitching for Triple-A Syracuse, McLean allowed just one hit on three walks (and one HBP) across 5.2 scoreless innings while striking out seven batters against the Charlotte Knights. He generated 15 swing and misses while topping out at 97.3 mph.
McLean kept the Knights off balance and cruised with the fourth inning being his only high-leverage situation. In that inning, McLean allowed a two-out walk to Andre Lipcius and Bryan Ramos followed with a single. But the right-hander bounced back with a strikeout on seven pitches. McLean would be one batter shy of getting through six innings, but a two-out walk to Will Robertson forced Syracuse to pull McLean after 96 pitches (58 strikes) thrown.
Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban was called to relieve McLean and struck out Lipcius to get through the sixth and end McLean's night.
Entering Tuesday's start, McLean has been terrific, tossing 104.0 innings split between Double-A Binghamton and Syracuse while posting a 2.60 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while striking out 113 batters.
With the Mets in potential need of some arms down the stretch, McLean -- and fellow prospect Brandon Sproat -- could be in play for a call-up. If McLean continues to pitch like this, he may leave the Mets with little choice but to call him up, especially the way the current major league starters are unable to give the team length.
